


Long Forgotten Red

by Jessamine



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:33:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessamine/pseuds/Jessamine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been several weeks after the fateful goodbye between Zero and Yuki. The hunter roams the city, disoriented and betrayed, until his eyes meet with a girl with a striking resemblance to that of the pureblood princess. Could this encounter be a miracle be a blessing or a curse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Long Forgotten Red

Long Forgotten Red

 

"Ze-e-r-o-o!" A light body jumped onto this hunched man's back. He stumbled slightly in shock of the attempted tackle in broad daylight. The flutter of brown hair on his chilled ears and the faint smell of roses brought back more memories than it probably should have. Before his mind could process the words tracing to his lips, this very lamentful man spoke.   
"Yuki! Quit goofing around!" Upon the utterance of this old phrase, his silver eyes flashed with cold and painful realization.   
There would never again be a time when that sentence was normal, was light, was happy. Even the very speaking of it would most likely be forced and not as natural should he be faced with the girl he had spoken of.   
"Yuki?" The arms around him retracted as the name was spoken. The light figure shuffled to his front, knocking Zero's short fantasy out of the picture. This girl's appearance, no matter how similar, could never quite match the short brown locks and uniform that he so longed to see again. Nothing could ever match the happiness he had with that simple picture. With that simple girl.   
He studied the woman, lips pursing.   
The long-haired girl's slight movements of curiosity knocked the brown locks into the air. The wind took it's turn to run light fingers throughout the creamy chocolate. Even her brown eyes screamed of confusion. Everything about the name he had uttered was odd.   
Everything about this girl, even the smell and feel of her pale skin was familiar. The striking resemblance was one that caused quite a stir to Zero's heart at first gaze. She could never truly be her, though. No one could replace Yuki.   
"Yuki? Who's that?" She asked, sweet voice belonging to another.  
Zero shook the thoughts from his mind, gazing at his close friend.   
"She was.. No one. Forget I said anything." With those words, he picked up the tough stride he had lost with her lunge.   
The girl gaped, annoyance overcoming her. She caught up, long winter coat swaying over brown heeled boots. She grabbed Zero's hand, glaring up to him.  
"That's not fair, Zero! You can't say another girl's name when you talk to your girlfriend!" Her determined expression only annoyed him further.   
"What are you talking about? You've never been my girlfriend, Barasuishou. Stop speaking nonsense." His rough tone only succeeded in causing the girl to puff out her cheeks. She whined, glare still on.   
"Someone should take the job, Zero. Maybe if the position is filled, other girls will be jealous!"   
The comment somehow caused a tinge of sadness to prod his heart. Thoughts swelled that should never be thought again.

\--No, Yuki, I wouldn't mind it at all. Please don't say it's just a plan to tear us apart in the end. Just keep holding my hand with the smile that you've always had. Please don't leave me. Please stay the same. --

Even so, he ripped his hand away from hers.   
"Stop fooling around. You should get home before it gets dark. It's not safe here." His warning and continued walking did not shake Barasuishou. She walked besides him, brown eyes pointed up like a small puppy.   
"Are you working a "job" again? When are you going to tell me what type of work it is? Maybe I could help." It was an innocent comment through and through, but only anger burned through Zero.   
"No, Barasuishou! Go home!"   
The only good thing about her personality was that she knew when to back down. He may have even felt just a bit of lifted anger from the hurt expression appearing to her face. It was soon replaced with regret at the words that filled her lips.   
"I'm sorry, Zero.. I didn't mean to be a burden. It's just, you're always helping me, you even saved my life, but I haven't been able to do anything to repay you. I just.." She trailed off, locking eyes with him.   
"I'm sorry. I'll go back home. Just be safe, okay?" The usual parting of ways after he had taken a shouting too far. How was it that this girl always found him, seeked him out after he spoke such a way to her?  
Zero clenched his teeth, truly groaning as he turned back. He shrugged off his harsh attitude.   
"Ah, don't say that. I'm the one.. Who should be sorry. Why is it that you keep bothering me even as I tell you to go away?" She was truly persistent. Every single day he roamed the town, she was there to meet him. The same small girl in a white winter coat that reflected that of the snow drifting down from the sky. His little snowflake, in a way, not that he would admit such a thing.   
Barasuishou picked herself up, laughing with red cheeks.   
"Well, it's because you saved my life, Zero. That crazy man would have cooked me and ate me! Not just because of that, though." Her brown eyes sparkled with every grin-filled word that this girl spoke under the ascending moon.   
"It's because it's you, Zero. When I saw your eyes, all I saw was sadness. It may sound weird, but I think the reason we met was for me to get rid of it." She giggled.  
"However long it may take." 

Yuki.

Zero's muscles acted before any other words could be accounted for. His arms wrapped around this girl, roses wrapping around him in a light scent. This was his breaking point, the very fixed point in time to which he could no longer contain the beast inside him, the raw emotion and regret.   
"I've missed you so much.." The small whisper of welcome was either not heard by Barasuishou or ignored completely. She nodded, leaning her head into him.   
"I love you, Zero." The words danced into his ears, his mind to another girl. If he could pretend it was her, if he could believe in a fantasy that would convince him to keep going, he would accomplish it.   
Even if she wasn't quite the same person, this was his Yuki.   
And even if it wasn't Yuki, he would convince himself that it was. 

\------  
\-----  
\------

 

"Zero!" The usual shout and tackle came from behind the boy. The slight weight and scent had become very familiar in the several weeks the girl had been known. Her giggle as she squeezed him rang throughout the town square, alerting any nearby individuals to glance over. Zero noticed the commotion she was making, quite annoyed about it.   
"Barasuishou! Cut it out! Can't you see the noise you're making?" He shook her off, staring down to the confused expression.   
She cocked her head, shaking it.   
"But you can't see noise, Zero."   
His eye twitched with the annoyance felt. Just what mess had he gotten himself into with this crazy girl?   
"Why is it that you always appear when the sun is going down? Didn't getting kidnapped by that man teach you anything about this place at night? It's not-"  
"-Safe. I know, Zero." She smiled, walking ahead of him. Even with the distance, the girl's voice echoed throughout him, Yuki's voice.   
"But should I really just stay inside all the time because there are terrible people in the world? That would be stupid." She turned, smile touching her lips and happiness in her brown eyes.   
"If I did, I would miss being with people like you, Zero. Someone so nice and kind."   
Was it the winter wind whipping through the air or the sweet voice gliding with it that knocked Zero's guard off? Such a thing was odd, as his defenses were built quite high, always searching for potential threats. He stepped forward.   
"Barasuishou, that isn't-"  
Words were cut from his lips before he was able to speak them. An event that shook his core, that stopped all human thoughts happened in that square.   
For the first time in a very long strip of time, a feeling of urgency filled him with hunger.   
Staring to this girl, a very alarming fact hung from her neck. It was a very nostalgic one as well.   
-  
"We'll do the most forbidden act of all."   
-  
A white cloth stained with red was wrapped carefully around the pale skin.   
The pain.   
He gripped his gasping throat, falling to a knee.   
Just like the type of person she was, the girl perked up at his knee. She ran over, placing a gentle hand to his back.  
\-   
Don't. stay away, Yuki... Can't you tell what a monster I am?  
-  
"Zero!? What's wrong?" At this angle, he could see the crimson trail going down her neck. She was bleeding badly, yet the girl didn't notice. His eyes were only wired to one place, and she caught the hint. Barasuishou gave him a look of confusion, just as she always did. Even as he clawed her jacket sleeve, this very stupid girl only stared to his painful and hungry eyes in shock.  
-  
I'm sorry.  
-  
"He gets weak around blood. Pity for a hunter." The familiar feeling of a shotgun head prodding his back was felt as the voice appeared from behind.   
Barasuishou was able to escape from his grip. She stood face to face with the man.   
She couldn't say he was familiar in the least. A long brown trench-coat was hidden as he bent next to Zero. Oddly enough, an eyepatch covered an eye, giving a very mysterious look and vibe. Black locks of hair, a much darker contrast to the pale boy he helped up.   
Blue eyes widened in shock upon truly facing her. The lit cigarette fell from his mouth, landing on the ground without a sound.   
Barasuishou looked to Zero, ignoring this fellow.   
"Is that so? He didn't seem like the type. You are..?" Introductions were to be made, even if her appearance was similar to a known individual.   
The question was blown off as the look of shock in the older man was interrupted by Zero.   
"Master, get off. I can get up on my own." Strength returned to his voice, and a darker request was approved without the girl's notice. The shotgun was removed from his back, safely tucked back into the trench coat.   
Zero walked several feet from the man, his eyes still stuck to Barasuishou. With his power and familiarly returning, the girl wandered next to Zero to face the man.  
"Zero, what is this? What the hell is going on?" The words flew from his lips with no apparent restraint. He pointed to the girl, her glare not deterring him in the slightest.   
"Just what do you mean by that?" Her voice was not friendly or kind as it usually was. Most likely annoyance and anger boiled through the tough words of the new man.   
"This is my old master; Yagari." Zero filled her in, locking eyes with the girl. She stared up, blinking with only more curiosity. This only caused a smile to transfer to his face. Perhaps just looking to her face, to not have truly become the monster that she would have cast off was enough to cause a light grin to appear. Yagari narrowed his eyes, placing a hand to his hip.   
Zero turned to him, placing a hand towards the girl.   
"Master, meet Barasuishou. She's a friend I met after finishing a job." The unneeded words filled Yagari's ears. That was more than enough information for him to accept. Even the bandage to her neck was figured by him, while it remained a mystery to Zero even still. She would have to explain later, and he would need to control himself further.   
"Barasuishou? Does she not have a last name?" The demanding behavior only annoyed the protective girl. She stepped in front of Zero, glaring to the hunter.   
"If you're asking, it will always be no." She truly didn't trust him, and just from the shocked look he gave her, every glance of blue eyes that rang from him.   
He pointed to her neck, the girl glancing down as well.   
"Can you tell me how you got that?" Of course, one of his first thoughts were that of the oddly placed bleeding wound.   
Barasuishou gaped, covering her hand over her neck.   
"It's bleeding through again? Cheap bandages.." She muttered, placing the blood-stained hand in front of her face for a better look.   
Zero flinched, ducking his head as he walked away. Yagari glared, eyeing the boy as he walked by him. Barasuishou only watched as the two traded words.   
"You may owe me a hell of a lot explanations, but we've got a bigger problem." Zero glanced back, silver eyes tracing the old man from head to toe. He coughed, shifting his pupils back to his front.   
"I'm not in the mood." He uttered, continuing to walk.   
Yagari wasted not a step, speaking the words with no concern to any overhearing.   
"It seems the job you're working; he's struck again. They found another woman this morning. Matches the victim critea too."   
However, that phrase did stop him. Zero glanced back, old hard blue pupils meeting with him.   
"What?"   
Barasuishou narrowed her eyes, glaring to the whispering. How she wished to know the words they spoke to each other. Secrets did not make friends, after all.   
The slowly ascending moon now hung over the scene, the girl glancing up towards it. The stars glittering to the night sky glanced down to her as well, her appearance shocking the celestial beings.   
\-   
-How is she like the one on the enforcement committee witnessed so long ago? They asked her.   
-  
She had no words to reply. It was true that she did look alike to a long-forgotten friend of Zero's, she figured that much. Why? Why did he look to her with the eyes of nostalgic sadness and not of present happiness? Could she ever really replace the girl? Was being a substitute really enough?  
Yagari and Zero flinched, both heads flitting from side to side. They locked eyes, mutual realization filling both heads.   
The present scent of blood Barasuishou had smeared to the scene was attracting unwanted attention. How could they rush her from the area without any suspicion flooding in? It was a feat near to impossible. Perhaps getting her out was more important than keeping her in the dark at the time.   
Zero grabbed her by the shoulders, Yagari grabbing his concealed gun.  
"Zero? What's going on?" She asked, brown eyes innocent as the blood lust took a stab at Zero. He resisted the obvious urge, pushing her forward.   
"I'll explain later.. We need to get you out of here." He gasped, breaths slow and measured. It was all he could do to limit the fangs poking at his lips and tongue running over the throbbing canines.  
"Where are you going? The party is just starting." The overwhelming scent of blood, and not just coming from his friend's neck made it's way to Zero's nose. All eyes glanced to a lone alley, to a lone individual stained in the crimson of many dead spirits. She walked to the square, licking a hand.   
Red eyes of a beast eyed Barasuishou with the same hunger Zero had. The long blonde hair wrapping around a familiar uniform struck fear into Yagari as well as Zero. The boy's glare intensified as he stepped in front of the wide-eyed and perhaps immobile girl.   
"That uniform. You're in the night class, aren't you? Drinking blood anywhere on the school or in the town in strictly forbidden! How many girls have you killed!?"   
She giggled, the white of her Cross uniform stained with the same crimson sea that often filled Zero's nightmares.   
"And you're Zero, the famous half-breed. Not even a half-breed at all!" She smiled, stepping closer.   
"Just a filthy level-E that I'm here to destroy." There was no other warning to the attack that this student unleashed. An incoming barrage of iced spikes flung from her area, causing all parties to duck to cover.  
"She's an aristocrat!" Yagari shouted over the mayhem.   
Powers belonging to that of only noble heritage flowed through the veins of aristocrats. Perhaps the knowledge of such a thing is what caused their cockiness as well as ruthlessness. This girl obviously had not been following the rules of her academy and the peaceful co-existence set by the headmaster.   
"Come out, come out wherever you are, Zero!" She laughed, stepping lightly to the last seen area of the hunter. She glanced down, only to be met by an empty position.   
An arm wrapped around her throat, a barrel aimed to her head. This aristocrat struggled to see behind her.   
"Looky what I got here. You're not on my list, but I'm willing to make an exception if you don't start talking, vampire." Yagari took a equally hard time in struggling against the nails digging into his arm and the cold chill of her fingers.   
She glared, red eyes quite bright in the darkened and desolate square.   
"I was told by my superior, filthy hunter. He's a level-E. Did you not see how he stared to his night-meal?"   
Yagari glanced over to the distant pair. The long strides of the two disappearing into the distance only caused Barasuishou's bandage to loosen from it's position.   
"Night-meal? What are you talking about? She was attacked by your kind, not a hunter." It wouldn't hurt to get more information to spill from her blood-stained lips. Creating a grand escape for the civilian was the top priority, however.   
The girl smiled, her chuckle vibrating the throat held by the man.   
"But he is our kind, hunter. How do you think Zero Kiryu is coping so well with the beast eating him inside out? A little snack in the middle of the night is exactly the trick. He doesn't even know it, either!" She gasped for air as he tightened his hold.   
"Lies! What proof could you possibly have?" His confidence in the boy was shaken. What if this arrogant aristocrat stained with blood was telling the truth? Could the untamed level-E truly have been awakened, if only subconsciously?   
"Enough proof for my superiors to send me out to kill a monster by whatever means necessary. Are you going to help me now or what?" The chill in her fingers sent a shiver up his spine.   
This time, however, Yagari gave a smile back.   
"I think that's obvious, vampire."


End file.
